Where We've Been
by TheGoodShipFluffy
Summary: What happens after we make that last choice? Something of a prequel to "Where We Go From Here," covering the time from the end of "Life Is Strange" to the start of "Where We Go From Here." This is a limited run, rather than the ongoing serial of WWGFH. Naturally, spoilers for all of "Life Is Strange," and Episode 5 especially.
1. The Right Choice

The winds had been howling as the hurricane tornado storm _thing_ had slowly plowed through the water towards the town of Arcadia Bay. When debris started to get pulled up by the vortex, Max just couldn't watch anymore. Squeezing Chloe's hand as tight as she could, she turned and hid her face in the crook of the taller girl's neck.

The rain was cold, and the wind sure didn't help. Both girls were pretty much drenched, and Max started to shiver, even as Chloe's free arm came up to hold her close. Distraught and desperate for warmth, she pressed herself up against Chloe. As tears rolled down Max's cheeks and got lost in the rainwater and the fabric of Chloe's top, Max just wanted to kiss her. Did she? Yeah, she wanted to kiss Chloe. The wind was shrieking, she may have just condemned an entire town to death, but somehow she wanted to put a move on her best friend?

No. People were dying down there. Because of her, she thought, and no matter how badly she wanted to kiss Chloe and just let her mind go blank, she wasn't going to let herself ignore this. She couldn't bring herself to look, but dammit, she wasn't going to try and make this some kind of romantic moment. Plus, that wouldn't be fair to Chloe. Her friends were probably dying. Her _mom_ was probably dying. Whatever jokes she'd been making a few days ago, Max doubted she would be in the mood for making out.

The rest of the morning was a blur to her. Max just alternated between keeping her eyes on the ground and sobbing into Chloe's shoulder, but somehow the taller girl got them both safely down the hill. There were some trees down in the parking lot by the boardwalk, but Chloe's truck had made it out pretty much unscathed.

She was still in a daze, but Max managed to climb up into the cab and slumped into the seat. Her bag was in there, and it looked like Chloe had packed a few things, too. Max didn't really remember what all had happened between the point in time she'd gone back and convinced Chloe not to go after Nathan and the time she'd come to again on the boardwalk.

With the wipers going, Chloe pulled them out of the lot and started to inch down the road. They couldn't really see very far in the storm, and with all the trees and debris coming down, it was slow going. Max wasn't sure how much time had gone by, but eventually the rain started to clear, and the sun came out.

With greater visibility, they could drive a little faster, but they could also see how wrecked Arcadia Bay was. If she'd been willing to take a moment to think about it, Max thought she could probably figure out where in town they were, but she still didn't want to really think too hard about, well, anything. Mostly, she just stared into space out the window. A lot of houses had tree branches and stray rubble sticking out of them, and here and there she spotted a dead body before quickly glancing away. There were some deer walking around in the wreckage though. It would have been almost beautiful, like those photosets of ruined buildings she liked looking through, if it she hadn't been convinced that _she_ was responsible for all the destruction.

As they started to get to the edge of town, Max was vaguely aware of Chloe's hand on her shoulder, rubbing gently. With what felt like monumental effort, Max turned her head to look at the taller girl, whose eyebrows were furrowed in concern. It felt nice, she thought, having Chloe touching her. Despite herself, she found it pretty calming, at least until the guilt set back in. Still, she wouldn't trade Chloe's presence for the world. Definitely not for the town, it had turned out.

They didn't talk much as they drove, but Max was okay with that. What would they talk about? "Hey, it was a real heroic thing you did back there, volunteering to sacrifice yourself for the town. Too bad I have a crush on you, so it looks like everyone you know might be dead now." "Would it be weird to try and make out with you while your mom is trapped in rubble?" "So, Nathan might be dead. Is it bad I'm relieved?" None if it was really stuff she wanted to deal with right then. The storm. Nathan and Mr. Jefferson. Chloe.

God, Chloe. If things had been different, she'd have the mental bandwidth to process how she was feeling about her best friend. Then again, if things had been different, maybe she wouldn't even be feeling like this. What _was_ this, anyway? Wanting to kiss and cuddle a girl wasn't a new feeling for Max, but she'd never really acted on it before Chloe had dared Max to kiss her. Chloe definitely seemed like she was into girls, at least some of the time, so maybe she'd be okay with fooling around? Maybe not, though, considering the whole "death and destruction" thing, though.

But it was more than wanting to make out and maybe touch some boobs besides her own, though. She and Chloe were close. They'd always been close. If anyone asked, Max would freely admit she loved Chloe. But was she _in_ love with her? It was hard for her to tell the difference between "I care about my best friend, who also happens to be gorgeous" and "I am in love with this girl." She wasn't sure if she'd ever really been "in love." Shy as she was, stuff like relationships and deep emotional connections weren't really her strong suit.

Chloe just kept driving around, but Max was pretty sure she didn't have a destination in mind. Just "away." Were they running away together? It sure looked like it. Then again, it was probably better than staying in the ruins of Arcadia Bay, Max admitted to herself. They drove through a fast food place at some point, and Max half-heartedly munched on some french fries, but she still felt like she was in shock.

As the sun went down, Chloe pulled them into the parking lot of a cheap looking motel and climbed out of the truck. Max just sat in her seat, though, until Chloe came around to her side and opened the door.

"Max," the blue haired girl said quietly, reaching up to take Max's face in both her hands and turn it so that she could look into the brunette's eyes, "It's getting dark, and today has just been…" She trailed off, eyes welling up a little, before blinking a few times and continuing. "I just can't drive anymore. Not tonight. Come on. I'll get us a room, and we can crash for the night."

Max's mind felt hazy, split between enjoying the sensation of Chloe's hands on her face and still just dwelling on all the chaos, and all the death and destruction she'd seen in the other timeline. Still, she managed to pull herself up out of her seat and climb down to the asphalt. Chloe let go of her and reached into the cab to pull out their bags, closing the door behind her and walking towards a door labeled "office." Max followed, then stood quietly by the door as Chloe handed the attendant a wad of cash in exchange for a key.

Their room was small and smelled just a little weird, but Max couldn't really be bothered to care too much about any of that. Stepping out into the night air and then back inside had made her realize that her clothes were still kind of damp. Chloe had set Max's bag on the bed further from the door before she'd gone to shut herself in the bathroom, and Max trudged over to see what all she had thought to bring when she wasn't herself. Or maybe she had been, and she just didn't remember any of it. She had no idea what she was doing, or how any of this worked, and she couldn't really commit to figuring any of it out just then.

Her camera was stowed safely in the little messenger bag, at least, along with a charger for her phone. Maybe she'd been preparing to stay at Chloe's for a day or two, or maybe she'd understood on some level that they might end up skipping town. Whichever it was, she'd apparently thought to pack a change of clothes and a few toiletries. It was a small thing, but she was glad she had something dry to wear that night and the next day. She hurriedly peeled her wet clothes off, fishing her phone and wallet out of the pockets, and pulled on the fresh T-shirt and panties. Feeling a little more comfortable, physically at least, she started to hang up her wet clothes in the little closet to dry.

"That looks like a good idea," Chloe remarked, stepping out of the bathroom and wiping her face, "Mind if I hang up my clothes too? After I, uh, go out for a smoke?" Max shook her head, turning to face Chloe. The blue haired girl looked as if she'd been crying again, and Max couldn't blame her. She was getting ready to break down, herself. Chloe looked like she was going to say something more for a moment, then closed her mouth and hurried out of the room.

Max stepped into the bathroom, used the toilet, then washed her hands, splashing a bit of water on her face. Peering into the mirror, she almost didn't recognize herself. She looked pale and half dead. Her eyes were puffy from crying on and off all day, and her hair was disheveled. It didn't matter, though, she thought. It wasn't like Chloe probably cared too much how she looked.

She climbed into bed, leaving the light on for when Chloe came back in. After a few more minutes, Chloe stepped into the room and shut the door behind her, the smell of cigarette smoke following in her wake. Normally, Max wasn't too happy with that smell, but right then it seemed comfortingly familiar, a reminder that Chloe was alive and with her.

Stepping over to the closet where Max had hung her clothes, Chloe started to undress as well. She didn't change into fresh clothes, though, and Max quickly looked away when she realized Chloe was about to be walking around naked. She'd seen Chloe naked before, of course, but with everything that was happening, feeling the usual little "hey there" glow would just make her feel guilty.

"Max?" Chloe asked as Max heard her click the light off and get into bed.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for choosing me," Chloe mumbled, pulling the covers up over herself just as Max turned to her, "I mean, I know that was a crazy choice you had to make, and I was ready to die and everything, but… Thanks for letting me keep on living." With that, she turned off the lamp by her bed, leaving the room in darkness.

Max heard Chloe crying quietly, though, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could see the taller girl shaking a little in her bed. Not that Max wasn't crying too, though. Chloe had seemed drained, and was snoring quietly within a few minutes, but for Max, the day felt even longer. She'd been in Jefferson's Dark Room, then in San Francisco, then in Jefferson's Dark Room again, then outside the Vortex Club party, and then on the beach, and at no point in all that did she remember sleeping, at least without being drugged, anyway.

She lay awake for a long time, staring up at the ceiling. Had that really happened? Was she still in the nightmare? Had she really friggin' _destroyed_ Arcadia Bay? Was she… in _love_ with Chloe? Was everything going to go all to shit in the morning? Had she made the right choice? Quiet tears rolled down her cheeks as her mind raced.

Rolling onto her side, Max wiped her eyes and looked across the little room. There, lying in the other bed, just a few feet away, just out of arm's reach, Max could see Chloe, the pale skin of her face, neck, and arms standing out against the darkness. She fretted a little in her sleep, but her chest rose and fell under the covers in a slow, steady rhythm. She didn't look _peaceful_ , exactly. Not at all. But she was _alive_. She was safe. Had Max made the right choice?

"Yes," she whispered to herself, gazing across the gap at the person she was closest with in the whole world, "Yes."


	2. Contact

Max didn't sleep well that night. Every time she tried, it felt like she had another nightmare. They weren't like the weird lucid nightmare she'd had on the beach, at least, but they were still plenty bad. She dreamed that she woke up in the Dark Room. She dreamed that she died in the storm. She dreamed that Nathan was alive, and that he found her. She dreamed Chloe died. After the first couple of times she woke with a start, she stopped checking the clock and just tried to get back to sleep.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asked as Max snapped her eyes open the last time, "You were, uh, muttering and fidgeting." The room was lit with sunlight, muted by the blinds on the window. Leaning over to check the clock, Max saw that it was a little after nine thirty in the morning. She didn't _feel_ like she'd gotten twelve hours of sleep, but that was probably because of the nightmares.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Max mumbled, rolling onto her back again, "Just bad dreams."

"I know that life," Chloe replied, "Wanna get out onto the road?" Max sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Where are we going?" she asked groggily. Going home to Seattle seemed like the most sensible thing, but "sensible" seemed like a pretty laughable concept at this point. She was pretty sure "my time powers might have destroyed my hometown because I saved my best friend" was unexplored territory.

"Nowhere," Chloe said, "Anywhere. I don't know. I just want to keep moving. Disappear, you know?" Max understood the feeling. Any responsibilities Chloe may have had were probably moot at this point, but wandering around backroads and "going off the grid" seemed like the way she'd respond to something big like this.

"I guess," Max sighed, rolling out of bed, "I'm alright with disappearing for a while." She still felt pretty numb. Being out in nature had always been a good way for Max to clear her head, and she definitely needed it cleared now.

Walking around in just T-shirts and underwear made Max think of the morning a few days before, after they'd broken into Blackwell. She had felt pretty giddy that morning, still high from the thrill of breaking into her school. Then they'd kissed, just for a second, and it had been electric. Chloe loved to tease, so Max wasn't sure how sincere the "dare" to kiss her had been, but at the time it had felt fun and exciting. Chloe's lips were soft and moist, and Max's mind had gone totally blank for that instant. She'd only come to her senses again once Chloe had stepped back, blushing and looking cute and flustered.

That was about where the similarities between that morning and this one ended, though. Neither one of them was giddy at this point. Mostly, Max still just felt empty and tired, not yet completely grasping what she'd done, and not yet entirely ready to admit why she'd done it. They got dressed and ready for the day without much more conversation, and were checked out of the motel within an hour.

It felt so weird to be driving around with Chloe, just sitting there together in silence. On the first day they'd been reunited, after Chloe had saved Max from Nathan, they hadn't said much until Blackwell was well behind them. Then, Max had felt awkward, not sure what to say to the best friend she'd lost contact with, just saved, and just been saved by.

This was a lot like that. Max wasn't sure if she should be trying to comfort Chloe, or asking her for comfort. She felt like a huge weight was resting on her shoulders, but ultimately Arcadia Bay was mainly just where she went to school, at this point. To Chloe, it was still _home_. How could Max ask Chloe to comfort her about leaving people to die when those people included Chloe's _mother_?

"Want to stop for some food?" Chloe asked eventually, a little after noon. Max considered for a moment. She _was_ hungry, which was at least a small improvement from yesterday.

"Sure," she replied, "Doesn't matter where." They kept on driving until they started to pass through a little town, at which point Chloe turned the truck into the parking lot for another fast food place. Max had never really been snooty about food, and with the way she was feeling, she was more than willing to settle for a Coke and some greasy chicken strips.

Once they'd both gotten their food, Max and Chloe found a table near the back of the restaurant and sat down. Just like the drive, they were mostly silent, just eating their junk food despondently. As Max mechanically brought fries to her mouth with one hand, she felt Chloe take hold of the other. A little surprised, she looked up at the blue haired girl, blushing some at the unexpected contact.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Chloe hadn't been looking at her, and immediately pulled her hand back when she looked up.

"S-sorry," Chloe muttered, looking away as her cheeks turned pink, "I wasn't really thinking… With all that's happening, I just like knowing you're still here. Does that make any sense?" Max smiled a little, and reached out to put her hand in Chloe's once more.

"Yeah, that makes sense," she replied, lightly running her thumb along the back of Chloe's hand, "I don't mind. I just wasn't expecting that." Chloe smiled back sheepishly, and turned her attention back to her food. Max tried to just focus on being there for Chloe, and not how warm the taller girl's hand was, or how nice it felt in hers. This was not the time, she told herself. Not the time.

Max felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and she wiped her hand off on a paper napkin before reaching down for it, keeping her other hand in Chloe's. She hadn't been getting much reception since the hurricane. In Arcadia Bay, she figured it was probably because the storm had messed with the cell towers or network or something like that. After that, she hadn't really been checking her phone, anyway, but reception was never too great in rural areas like that. Maybe being in this town had put her back in range of her network.

Her mouth almost dropped when she opened up her email app, though. There, at the top of her inbox, was an email from Principal Wells, sent out to all Blackwell Academy students, faculty, and staff, with the subject line "Let us know you're alright!" She held her breath as she read it, but with each line she could feel relief washing over her. "Dear Blackwell Family, In light of yesterday's severe storm…" "…Service has been restored…" "… Want to make sure everyone is present and accounted for…" "… Classes are cancelled until further notice…" "… Campus will be open to students and their families for the next week, to retrieve possessions…" "… Please respond with your name and current status…" "… With sincerest hopes, Raymond Wells." At some point while reading the message, Max had let go of Chloe and brought her free hand up to her mouth in astonishment.

A moment after Max reached the end of the message, her phone buzzed again, with a reply from Kate Marsh. "Katherine Marsh, safe and sound at Arcadia Bay General Hospital." Then another. Then another. After she had processed that at least some Blackwell people had survived, Max hurriedly typed her own response. "Maxine Caulfield, safe, outside Arcadia Bay with friend from town, fled for safety in storm." Hitting, "send," Max looked up at Chloe, who was staring at her own phone.

"Max," Chloe whispered, a smile spreading across her face as she turned the screen towards the brunette, "She's safe! Mom's safe!" Seeing Chloe smile like that, and hearing that Joyce was safe, was enough to break Max. For like the millionth time that week, Max began to cry, but this time it was from relief. Relief and joy.

"Oh my god!" she said through her tears, "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Again, she reached out to take Chloe's hand, squeezing it as their eyes met. It wasn't like everything was magically fine now, of course. The town had still been hit pretty hard, and there were definitely some people who died in the storm. Blackwell might not reopen. They were still in the middle of nowhere, with one change of damp clothes each. But just then, holding Chloe's hand and looking into her sparkling eyes, Max felt as if all was right in the world.


	3. Figuring Things Out

The rest of lunch had taken on a decidedly lighter feel after Max and Chloe had read their respective messages. With their most immediate and upsetting concerns resolved, they had started to talk, laughing and joking together like they used to. Max still worried about what all this chaos and destruction was going to mean, of course, and she guessed Chloe had some similar concerns, but just knowing that things hadn't been as bad as they'd feared, that Max's friends and Chloe's mother had survived, was enough to dispel the cloud that had been hanging over them.

As they got back on the road, Chloe took Max's hand again. They talked some as they drove, both more animated than they'd been just a few hours ago, but the fact that they were holding hands was never addressed. She couldn't know what was going through the other girl's head, but holding hands with Chloe made Max feel calm.

Without the catastrophic elephant in the room, Max felt less guilty about thinking about how she felt about Chloe. So much for that excuse to avoid her feelings… Turning over to look at the taller girl, Max felt rapt by how beautiful Chloe looked in the afternoon sun. Really, Max thought Chloe was beautiful all the time, in her particular, defiant way, but she looked especially stunning in that moment.

How _did_ Max feel about Chloe, this girl she cared enough about to let a tornado tear through her home town? Fond. Affectionate. Attracted. Crap, she was falling for Chloe, wasn't she? That wouldn't really be so bad, except that Max was pretty sure Chloe was into Rachel. After they'd found out that Rachel had been involved with Frank, Chloe had seemed pretty pissed off, and finding Rachel's _dead body_ meant that they were both pretty shaken up, but Chloe especially. Both of them were in weird places, emotionally, but Chloe arguably more so.

"What?" Chloe asked, jarring Max out of her quiet contemplation.

"What?" Max asked right back, unsure of what was going on.

"You were staring at me," Chloe replied, "Is there something wrong? Do I look weird? 'Cause you don't exactly look ready to walk the Milan runway, yourself, either." Max shook her head and blushed, embarrassed she'd been caught staring, especially considering what she'd been thinking about.

"You're just so beautiful, and I'm so happy you're alive," Max wanted to say, "I never want to lose you again."

"No, everything's fine," Max actually said, "Just spacing out." Chloe shrugged and smiled, and turned her attention back to the road. She didn't pull her hand out of Max's, though, which was comforting.

They continued to just wander around back roads, the plan apparently still to disappear for a while. The storm the day before must have been pretty localized to Arcadia Bay, Max thought, because the woods they were driving through looked pretty undisturbed. There were a couple trees down and stuff, but they looked like they'd been down for years. It all felt so peaceful, and she started to doze off in her seat.

Max didn't have as many bad dreams as the night before, but she was still woken up a few times from nightmares by Chloe squeezing her hand. The taller girl would always glance over with a look of concern, checking that she was alright, and then turn back to watch the road. Max would doze off again, and the process would start over. Obviously, she didn't like having nightmares, but it felt really nice to wake up to Chloe watching over her.

At some point, they pulled into the parking lot of diner. Max had lost track of time as she phased in and out of consciousness, but it was dark out. It had been late afternoon the last time she'd been awake, so apparently she'd managed to go a few hours without a nightmare.

"I figured we could get something to eat here," Chloe explained, seeing that Max was awake, "It's like eight o'clock, and I'm pretty hungry. Guessed you would be, too." Max did have to admit that she was feeling really hungry, and so she nodded. They parked and got out of the truck, and Max realized as they climbed out of their respective doors that it was probably the first time since lunch that they hadn't been holding hands. Her hand felt cold, being alone all of a sudden after having a companion for hours, and she held it close to her chest, warming it against herself and wanting to cherish the memory of touching Chloe like that.

There was no hope for it. She was falling for Chloe, no doubt about it. As they ate their diner food, talking about anything and everything besides what had happened over the last few days, she kept catching herself looking at Chloe. Or _gazing_ at her, more accurately. She loved hearing Chloe's voice and seeing her smile, even if the lingering pain of the last week was still there below the surface. Over the last week, Max had had so many things on her mind- Homework, sudden time travel powers, saving Kate Marsh, not getting murdered by Nathan, figuring out what was going on at Blackwell- that she couldn't really focus on just catching up with Chloe. Now she had nothing to focus on _but_ Chloe.

After dinner, they drove back down the road a little ways to a motel Chloe had noticed on their way to the diner. Chloe paid for the room again, and Max tried not to think of _where_ she was getting the money. From the money they'd taken from Wells's office, probably. The room itself looked pretty much like the one they'd slept in last night: Two beds, a closet, a nightstand, a bathroom at the far side, a dresser, and a TV. Max tossed her bag onto one bed, and Chloe claimed the other.

"I'm gonna go shower," Chloe stated, taking her jacket off and leaving it on the bed, "Sit tight!" Max sat down on her bed and checked her phone as Chloe stepped into the bathroom. Several more people had replied to the Blackwell headcount email, including Warren, Dana, and Stella. Still no Nathan, though, and still no Mr. Jefferson. Max turned off her screen and shook her head to clear it.

Taking her camera out of her bag, Max held it up and snapped a selfie. It wasn't going to be cute, she knew, but looking cute wasn't why she took selfies. She wanted to capture moments in time, and the emotions she was feeling in those moments. Some moments weren't going to be happy moments, but that didn't mean she shouldn't try to encapsulate them on film.

When the photo finished developing a moment later, Max examined it. Her eyes were a lot less puffy than yesterday, she noted, and she definitely looked less sad. She'd been expecting to look disheveled and tired, but it turned out that she looked kind of defiant, she thought. Take that, Mark Jefferson.

As Max was inspecting the photo, Chloe stepped out of the bathroom in just her T-shirt and boyshorts, drying her hair with a towel. Noticing that the brunette was looking at a picture, Chloe stopped and looked at her for a second, smiling.

"Glad you're taking pictures again," she remarked, her tone light and a little teasing, "I don't think you snapped a shot at all yesterday. I was starting to get worried!" Max sighed and smiled back at Chloe. It was a relief that she was joking again.

"No need to worry about me," Max replied, setting her camera down and standing, "I'm, uh, gonna go shower, too." Closing the bathroom door behind herself, Max got undressed and turned the shower on, stepping in.

Max shivered a little as the water hit her skin, reminding her of the rain the day before. The water was warm, though, and she held onto that link to the here and now. It was warm water in a shower, she told herself. There was no wind, no thunder and lightning, just a slightly cramped shower in a well-lit motel bathroom. No fallen trees or crumbling lighthouses, just white porcelain and towels. Taking deep breaths and focusing, Max managed to calm herself, and even enjoy the warm water and comfortable solitude for a few minutes.

Once she was out of the shower, Max decided to just dress for bed, putting on her panties and T-shirt from the day. Pulling the shirt on over her head, she realized that it was what she'd worn to bed the night before, too, since she'd changed out of her wet clothes. Still, it wasn't like there was anyone to impress or maintain appearances for. Well, there _was_ Chloe, but Max figured she probably wasn't going to care too much about reusing clothes. Besides, this wasn't exactly a normal situation, anyway.

When Max left the bathroom, Chloe was sitting in bed, already under the covers, reading something or other on her phone. That feeling that Max had been dwelling on all day, that desire to be close to Chloe, reared its head again. It wasn't like this was a "now or never sort of situation." There wasn't really any reason she couldn't wait a few more days before acting on her feelings, or even a few weeks. Hell, with her power, she could theoretically take forever to figure things out, if she wanted.

But Max had spent most of her life being shy and cautious. This past week had been crazy, but it had made Max feel stronger and braver than she ever had before. She'd saved Kate Marsh. She'd fought her inner demons. She'd stared down Mr. Jefferson. She could tell Chloe how she felt. Taking a deep breath, Max sat down on the edge of Chloe's bed, prompting the blue haired girl to look up from her phone, seeming a little confused.

"Chloe," Max started, trying to find the right words, "I've been thinking. About, um, a lot of things." Chloe set her phone on the nightstand, giving Max her full attention. "I- I know that these have been just a crazy couple of days, and I know we hadn't talked for like five years before like a week ago, but…" She struggled, trying to give voice to what she was feeling, and what she wanted. Swallowing and taking another deep breath, she continued.

"But we've shared all that craziness," she went on, trying her best to look into Chloe's eyes as she spoke. Those beautiful, piercing blue eyes… "And now, I, um, I want to share myself. With you." Chloe's cheeks turned pink, and she raised an eyebrow, peering at Max.

"What are you saying, Max?" Chloe asked, her voice quiet and deliberate. From what little Max had picked up about Chloe's romantic life in the five years they'd been apart, it sounded like she'd been hurt several times, and had a habit of keeping people at arm's length, so it made sense that she would be hesitant. That, or maybe she just had no romantic or sexual interest in Max, and was uncomfortable with this whole situation…

"I'm saying that I want to sleep with you," Max declared, "I'm saying that I want you. You in particular. I want to kiss you, and hold you tight, and- and-" Her face was burning, and she finally had to look away. She felt Chloe's hand on hers again, and her heart leapt.

"I understand," Chloe whispered, sitting up and leaning closer to Max. The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion. It couldn't have taken more than a second or two, but Max felt acutely aware of every detail of Chloe's face as it came closer and closer, eyelids descending. Chloe's hand was on the back of her neck, and Max could feel her breath on her face. Then their lips touched, and Max felt her fear and hesitation evaporating.

They'd "kissed" that morning a few days before, but this was completely different. That had been little more than a peck on the lips, lasting only like half a second. But this time, their lips pressed together gently, warm and soft and moist. It felt like tender heat was washing over Max as she sank further into the kiss, shifting closer to Chloe and draping her arms around the taller girl's neck.

"Are you sure?" Chloe murmured after they ended the kiss, resting her forehead against Max's, "Like, I'm into it. Just, I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for." The concern wasn't unfounded, Max had to admit. Being vulnerable and exposed for Chloe sounded like the most amazing thing, but making her vulnerable and exposed against her will had been Jefferson's weird obsession.

"Yes, I'm sure," Max whispered, smiling as she looked into Chloe's eyes, "I'm excited, and nervous, and I'm really not sure what I'm doing past this point… But yes, I'm sure." Chloe smiled broadly, her eyes twinkling as she reached down to lightly caress Max's waist.

"Don't worry," Chloe assured her quietly, lying back and pulling Max down with her, "I'll help you figure it out."

 **A/N: For the pillow-talk banter that comes after, see the story "Flower."**


	4. Resolution

When Max awoke, her face was pressed against the warm skin of Chloe's chest. The taller girl's arms were around her, with one hand running softly through her hair. Not wanting to disturb the moment, she just stayed still, pretending to still be asleep.

Last night had been incredible. Max had heard so many stories about people's "first times," ranging from awful to funny, but they'd all kind of set her up to assume that the first time someone, ahem, made love, it was an awkward experience. To a certain extent, it had been for her, too. She'd been pretty nervous that her crotch smelled weird, or that her nipples looked odd, or that she'd do something that would just be a full-stop turnoff for Chloe, but none of that had happened. If Chloe's behavior had been any indication, there was nothing wrong with her. She'd had to be told what to do at a couple points, but that was about the worst of it.

But first time jitters and confusion aside, it had been amazing. Max had loved the way Chloe had touched her, and the way she'd kissed her. There had been one moment when Max had been lying on her back with Chloe kneeling between her legs when Chloe had just stared at her for a second, a look of adoration on her face, and Max had never felt so beautiful. Everything Chloe had done had made her feel amazing, really, whether on a physical or emotional level, and frequently both.

It hadn't been one-sided, either, and Max was a little proud of that. She was proud of the way she'd made Chloe moan and gasp a little. She was proud of the way that the taller girl's fingers had curled in her hair. Max was proud of the way Chloe had murmured "yes" and "don't stop" as she had touched her. The whole experience had been magical for her, and she really hoped it had meant as much to Chloe.

"Well, look who's finally awake!" Chloe remarked as Max eventually turned her head up to face her, "Sleep okay?"

"Yes!" Max replied, a bit more enthusiastically than she'd intended. She hadn't has as many nightmares in the night, and those she had weren't as bad as the ones before. It might have just been a function of time passing, but she kind of liked to think that it was because Chloe was holding her. "Did you, uh, sleep okay, too?" Max wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to say the morning after having sex with someone.

"Pretty good, yeah," Chloe stated, smiling down at her, "I was pretty exhausted." Max felt that little glow of pride again, and scooted up so that her face was about even with Chloe's, pulling the blankets up with her. It was silly, but she kind of wanted to keep herself covered up, even after last night.

"Thanks for last night," Max mumbled, feeling a little awkward all of a sudden, "It was- I just- It was really special for me." Chloe smiled at her and leaned over, planting a gentle kiss on her lips for a moment.

"You're so cute," the taller girl said, grinning and reaching a hand up to stroke Max's hair again, "And you don't have to 'thank' me, Max. It's not like I was helping you move or something. We screwed. You don't thank someone after you screw." Max blushed at the nonchalance with which Chloe talked about the whole thing. "Screw," "twat," "snatch." The words she used seemed too crass for something as beautiful as lovemaking, but maybe Max was just being too mushy about everything.

"It was pretty great for me, too," Chloe went on, seeming to notice that Max was blushing and starting to fidget, "After everything that's gone down, a night like that is just what I needed." Max bit her lip.

"So, just the one night, then?" she asked, feeling a little crestfallen. It must have shown on her face, because Chloe furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head.

"It doesn't have to be a one-and-done," Chloe assured her hurriedly, "We can do this again tonight, if you want. I'd love that! I just- I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated to, like, marry me now or anything. If that was just you working out stress, or getting your cherry popped just to have it over with, I understand." The blue haired girl looked genuinely nervous, but Max wasn't entirely sure whether it was because Chloe was afraid Max didn't have any feeling for her, or if she was afraid she _did_. Whichever it was, Max couldn't quite muster up the nerve to ask.

"God, how could I _not_ want to do that again?" Max wondered aloud. Chloe scoffed.

"You'd be surprised," she muttered, sounding a little bitter, "Wouldn't be the first time somebody's suddenly lost interest after getting the goods." Max sighed. Even after all they'd been through over the last week, and all that had happened last night, Chloe was still cautious.

She must have been burned before, Max guessed. Chloe had never been _dumb_ , but she had definitely had a dorky romantic streak back when they were younger. Maybe the first time Chloe had slept with someone, she'd thought they were The One, and then had her heart broken. Or maybe it was just because of Rachel. It could always be both.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Max assured her, "I will happily share a bed with you any day. Er, night." Chloe smiled at that, and gently squeezed Max close.

"So, what's the plan?" Chloe asked, "Just become hipster nomads, driving the backroads by day and banging in motels by night? Because I can definitely get behind that." Max felt her face heat up again at the word "banging," but she tried to ignore it.

"Well, I need to get back to Blackwell to pick up my stuff," Max noted, "The email said the dorms were going to be open for a week so that people could come get their crap." Chloe glanced away sheepishly, and Max's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I, uh, don't really know where we are," Chloe admitted, "When we left Arcadia Bay, I just kind of drove. Did that yesterday, too. I don't know how to get back…" So, they were driving around aimlessly, with no idea what they were doing and just figuring it out as they went. Damned if that wasn't the laziest metaphor Max had ever lived.

"We could always just drive west until we hit the coast, and drive up and down that until we hit Arcadia Bay," Max suggested, "Or we could, you know, just use a map. I think that the diner we ate at last night had some travel brochures, like at the Two Whales. Or there's always just the GPS on our phones."

"I guess," Chloe conceded, "I kind of like the idea of driving to the ocean. Just you and me, riding into the sunset." Max laughed.

"Whatever works," she said, "Speaking of, we should probably get on the road at some point." Chloe grumbled a little but eventually agreed, and they got dressed. Max hastily pulled on her clothes while Chloe was in the bathroom at one point, but the taller girl didn't seem to have any sense of modesty about Max seeing her body as she changed. That was probably a healthier attitude to have, Max thought, and definitely made sense after last night, but she was still feeling a little unsure of herself.

As they started to drive, Max leaned over to rest against Chloe, enjoying the feeling of being close to her. She didn't really know what would be coming next. More snuggling and more lovemaking, ideally, and she kind of assumed that they would make it back to Blackwell, but beyond that, she had no idea. She didn't really mind, though, so long as she was with Chloe. Reaching down, she took the taller girl's hand in hers and held it tight. Whatever else happened, she was resolved to keep holding that hand for as long as she could.

 **A/N: We now return to our regularly scheduled "Where We Go From Here," already in progress.**


End file.
